PHS girls basketball wins third in a row

PORTSMOUTH — The Portsmouth High School girls basketball team gave a true team effort on Wednesday night, as all 13 players chipped in to rout Kingswood, 65-25, in Division II action.

Alicia Brown led the charge for the Clippers with 12 points, 11 rebounds and six steals, while Tighe Loch led all scorers with 15 points. All 13 Portsmouth players had at least one rebound, and all but two got into the scoring column. The Clippers had a 50-26 edge on the glass and won their third straight game.

Portsmouth coach Dan Parr was pleased with his team's play, especially the contributions from the bench.

"That was big," he said. "We have five solid starters, and after that most of the team (were) JV players (last season.) They all looked good and they all played good defense, which is what we are supposed to be built on."

Portsmouth (3-1) took control inside early behind Brown and Devon Parker (10 rebounds, three steals), as the pair combined for six second-chance points in helping the Clippers take a 15-9 lead after one. Phoebe Collins (eight points, two steals) and Loch then began to hit from outside, keying a 30-7 run bridging the second and third quarters that gave Portsmouth a 51-19 lead after three.

"They were doing anything they wanted to all night," said Kingswood coach Grady Charland. "They beat us with dribble penetration and they picked us apart with the pass — whatever they wanted."

In addition to the defensive shortcomings, Charland said his offense also failed to perform consistently.

"We were our own worst enemy tonight," he said. "When our perimeter players turn the ball over, they get layups. You can't do this. We looked like we didn't even want to be here tonight."

One of the big reasons for Kingswood's offensive struggles was the Portsmouth defense, which held the Knights (2-2) to just seven field goals while forcing 32 turnovers.

Emily Rumery led Kingswood with seven points and seven rebounds, while Emma Tierney had six blocked shots and six rebounds. Jen Simpson had five points and nine rebounds.

The Clippers didn't miss a beat when their "second line" came into the game, as players like Abby Salvadore (seven rebounds, four steals), Hannah Stevens (six points, five rebounds) and Elise McDonough (four rebounds) made contributions in their first significant playing time of the season.

"With 13 kids it's hard to get everyone in," said Parr. "We see them in practice, but it was good to get them into the game as a unit. I thought they did great. They do what they can, and they don't try to do too much. It was nice that they had a chance to play in a situation where there wasn't too much pressure on them, and they could relax and execute."

Loch said getting everybody significant playing time will be a confidence booster for the entire team.

"Our bench did a great job," Loch said. "Overall, the whole team did great tonight, no matter who was in there."

Lost in the blowout win, said Parr, was the improved play from his starting guards. He said with Loch and Collins looking for their own shots, and hitting them, it took some pressure off Brown and Parker inside.

"They are realizing that they are going to have a lot of opportunities, because we are big inside, and teams are going to have to pack it in defensively," Parr said. "They always try to get it inside, but tonight they realized they will have tons of opportunities (to score) when teams pack it low."